Catch Me If You Can
by AnimalCharmer
Summary: Cop/ Robber Romance, Great Characters. This is a new story idea that I've been playing with for a while. Please read it and let me know what you think of it. Based on your ratings and reviews I will continue the story.
1. Chapter 1

The fear of burglars is not only the fear of being robbed, but also the fear of a sudden and unexpected clutch out of the darkness.  
-_Elias Canetti_

Truer words were never said Alex thought as she surveyed the room below her. The dim light brought by a single guard's flashlight gave the room she currently occupied an eerie feeling but she was used to it. After all, on this night she was the only thing to fear in this room.

Patiently she waited for the slow older gentleman to make his rounds around the unlit cases filled with century's worth of historical artifacts and countless treasures; the thought that she would soon be in possession of several made her fingers curl in anticipation. A cool breeze stirred the few wisps of hair around her face that had managed to escape her ponytail and she enjoyed for a moment the peace that darkness always brought her before getting down to business.

After several minutes the man finally tottered off, no doubt to catch his favorite show on the TV set she'd already seen flickering in the security room. It was just as well, she thought, she didn't like the idea of knocking such an old man unconscious. Violence, in her mind, was best avoided if possible. Humming under her breath, she slipped her thin knife under the sill of the window and expertly slid into the room, landing silently on her rubber soled boots.

Her grey eyes scanned the room quickly even though she already knew that the cameras in the room were out of commission—she'd seen to that already. Noiselessly she walked to the display case that held the object that she had taken so many precautions to 'acquire'. It lay nestled on a dark velvet cloth and gleamed dimly in the faint light, she grinned happily as she set about opening the glass case.

With a quiet click the case slid open and she reached inside and carefully grabbed the fist-sized gem, whistling silently in at its craftsmanship, "Hel-lo beautiful…"

Humming happily she slid it into the specially made bag at her side before replacing the empty space where the gem had rested with her calling card. She grinned mischievously she imagined the reaction of the stuffy curator when he realized his prize was gone. Somehow she doubted that the knowledge that the infamous Smoke Thief had made off with his treasure would make him feel any better.

With a small salute to the guard in the other room she closed the case and slipped out the way she came in making sure to leave no trace behind her.

Special Agent Caleb Bennett had a feeling that today was going to be a bed day when he crawled out of bed to answer the loud buzzing sound that was his doorbell. Grumbling to himself he grabbed a t-shirt off the back of his chair and pulled it over his head before opening the door to his flat. Blearily he glared at the subordinate standing there nervously, "Yeah?"

The man swallowed audibly and rattled out his message, "The chief wants to see you in his office ASAP."

Caleb glared at him, "Why didn't he just call me?"

"He said to tell you that he knew you wouldn't come unless he forced you out of bed first." At this Caleb sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"There was another robbery last night wasn't there?" The trainee nodded solemnly and Caleb cursed. Without bothering to bid the rookie goodbye, he slammed the door shut and went to get a shower.

The office was bustling with activity by the time he got there and he expertly snagged a cup of coffee from the break room before walking to the chief's office and leaning against the doorframe. The chief didn't bother to look up from his phone call and just gestured impatiently for him to have a seat. Caleb sat down and took a long swallow from his cup wincing at the bitter taste. After a few minutes the chief finally hung up the phone and sighed, leaning back in his chair wearily.

Silently Caleb arched an eyebrow in question and the chief finally broke the silence, "I assume the rookie told you why I called you in today?"

Caleb nodded, "What was stolen?"

The chief stood and walked to the window and stared out for a minute, "An extremely rare and expensive emerald in New York…No evidence or trace of entry could be found of course. Oh and this," He reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a plastic bag with a simple piece of paper inside."

Caleb leapt to his feet and nimbly snatched the baggie out of the chief's hand and eagerly looked inside, "This was left at the scene? In place of the missing object?" His voice held a note of glee, "The Smoke hasn't pulled any major heists for at least 8 months now, why would he start now?"

The chief smirked at the normally somber agent's excitement, "We think the Smoke was responsible for this robbery, or it was a damn good copycat." He leaned a hip against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm sending you to New York to lead a special task force to capture the one responsible. The emerald's owner happens to be a personal friend to the bureau's president so it's imperative that we wrap this case up quickly. This crime spree has gone on way too long."

Standing, Caleb pocketed the note and saluted sarcastically to the chief, "Aye, captain."

The chief frowned and flipped him off as Caleb turned and sauntered out of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Something bright was shining into her eyes. Growling under her breath Alex rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head to escape the sunlight peeking through her blinds. For a while she just lay there slowly accepting the fact that she was going to have to get up soon. On the table beside the bed her alarm clock began to chime softly and she forced herself into a sitting position so she could turn it off and stretch.

Barefoot, she padded into her kitchen to turn on her coffee maker on. Leaning a hip against the corner of her counter she yawned and looked around. The black bodysuit that she'd worn last night was draped over one of her kitchen chairs and was still slightly damp from the dew from her escape route.

For a moment she thought back to her first heist and grinned at the reminder of her lack of planning. She had panicked when she had inadvertently set off one of the alarms at the small jewelry store she'd been robbing and had raced off into the night—only to trip over the first trashcan and land face first in a ditch.

Chuckling to herself, Alex grabbed a cup of coffee and sipped it slowly until it cooled down. Snagging a bagel and a jar of jelly from the fridge she walked into her living room and plopped onto her couch. The TV was still on the local news channel she'd been watch the day before and she idly listened the lady go over the day's news while she spread jelly on her bagel.

"In local news, the infamous Smoke Thief struck again last night robbing the Museum of Natural History late last night, "Grinning, Alex turned it up and watched as the woman interviewed the stuffy curator," The missing gem is estimated to be worth over 6 million dollars and is one of the rarest emeralds in the world. The gem's owner, Governor Samuel Crawford is pushing the FBI to find the criminal responsible and bring them to justice."

Frowning slightly Alex turned off the TV and walked into her bedroom to grab her laptop. It booted up quickly and she started the program that allowed her to sign into the FBI's website under a false name. She'd created the program a few months earlier so that she could eavesdrop on the investigations focusing on her capture and it was specially designed to be impossible to trace. Scanning quickly through the files she froze as the leading agents name popped up on the screen. Special Agent Caleb Bennett she murmured to herself and accessed his file.

Whistling slowly she read over his information, apparently the Governor had pulled a few strings so that the FBI's top officer would be hot on her tail. According to the file, he'd been sent to New York to find her as quickly as possible so that the FBI could be in good graces again. Scowling she slammed shut her laptop and walked into her bedroom to grab some clothes so that she could get a better look at her latest adversary.

* * *

New York was a miserable and noisy piece of hell, Caleb decided as he finally made it out of the smelly cab that had been sent to take him to his new apartment. It had taken over an hour for the cabbie to make it the fifteen blocks between the airport and his hotel. He was antsy and ready to quickly close the case he'd been obsessing on for the last year and a half.

Tossing his suitcase onto his bed he sat at the simple wooden desk in the corner of the room to go over the case files he'd been given from the district office. They contained most of the information he'd already gathered and he took a few minutes to reread them. As he read, he slowly put together the plan he would be using to capture the infamous thief.

Grinning in anticipation, he picked up the phone at the desk and dialed the number for the district chief. It wouldn't be long before the thief realized he was in town and an even shorter time for the thief, where ever he may be, to be taken into custody. Leaning back in his chair, Caleb began to lay out the trap that would get him the Smoke thief in his custody.


	3. Chapter 3

"From small beginnings come great things." ---A Proverb

"Faster Alex!" Her father's voice was sharp with displeasure, "You aren't even trying anymore."

Alex frowned and selected another lock pick; carefully inserting into the high grade lock before her. Her father expected her to open this within the two minute window he gave her. Frustrated at the intricacies of the lock before her, she wiped her sweaty palms against her jeans and started again. Her father's intense stare could be felt on the back of her neck, and she couldn't bear the thought of disappointing him again.

"30 more seconds girl." The irritation in his voice made her grit her teeth and slide the last lock pick into place, finally being rewarded by the soft _click_ of the lock opening. She rocked back on her heels and turned a triumphant face up at him, but he only gave her a grunt of displeasure.

"You took far too long Alex…that time was unacceptable." Alex's smile slowly faltered and she hung her head in shame. With a sigh, her father turned away and gestured for her to head for the gym to run.

Panting, Alex sat up from where she'd fallen asleep on the couch and ran a hand through her hair and looked around her apartment. It had been years since she'd had a dream about her training. Scowling at herself she wearily slid off the couch and padded into her office so she could boot up her computer.

Her comfortable little flat was quiet and she loved all the windows that let light in throughout the day and the glow of the city lights at night. There were books scattered throughout all of the surfaces of the house and within her office, the tools of her trade were lined out neatly on a custom made storage cabinet in the corner of the room. The computer was the focal point of the room, taking up most of her desk space and gleaming softly from the light in the window.

A soft beep alerted her that she could begin her program. For the past three years she'd been freelancing for several different security companies for cash. She'd made enough money to pay for her own apartment, instead of with her 'usual' funds, and the irony of working for the companies that caused her the most problems when she was after her target.

Quickly she opened her internet browser and accessed her email account. The gem she'd taken last night had only been a test run for her latest client; he wanted her to prove her skills before he gave her the actual target. They only contacted each other through these anonymous emails. She'd already tried to trace the account out of curiosity and a bit of habit but she'd never been able to find anything.

She couldn't afford to lose this client or botch one of his targets; besides the risk of her own incarceration, her father was counting on her to finish this. She closed her eyes and hung her head down wearily before clicking on her inbox icon that was flashing to show she had an unread message.

There was only one unread email in her inbox and she opened it quickly. Scanning through the contents she frowned—another one of his stupid tests, this time higher risk. The file contained the security layouts for the museum as well as a picture of the object he wanted to 'acquire'. This job would be much harder now that the city was on alert from her last heist. Alex pursed her lips and mused over the job contents before finally nodding to herself and typing in her response. _I'll do it._

This job was going to be slightly more difficult than what she usually told but she knew it was a test, and she could never back down from a test. Her father was counting on her to finish this task and get back to him as soon as she could.

Getting back down to business she scanned over the file that was sent to her. The Metropolitan Museum of Art held several well known pieces within its walls and she was already itching to look at the security grids. Her client wanted one of their more innocuous pieces—a sword and scabbard dated back to 60 BC. The file included a small picture that showed a two foot long jade colored scabbard that barely showed the signs of its age.

Memorizing the image quickly she continued on the to the grid patterns she had on file for the museum. The MMA boasted one of the city's finest security systems and she whistled under her breath at the measures they'd gone to protect their priceless treasures. The grid had been updated the day after she'd made her hit on the Museum of Natural History and she leaned back in her chair considering the task before her.

Each level of the building had motion sensor cameras as well as a round the clock guard system that patrolled in carefully coordinated patterns around the building. Alex arched an eyebrow as she looked over the computer program reading quickly before she laughed out loud—the program they had chosen to use to run the computers and camera system was her own.

Feeling energized by the good news she stood and shut down her computer and glanced at the clock. She still had plenty of time to scope out the museum and have a look at the inside of the building so there wouldn't be any unwanted surprises when she actually made her run.

New York City in the falls was windy and cool but Alex had always found a nosy sort of beauty in the city. The city offered shelter in the multitude of faces all rushing towards their own goals and dreams and she found peace in the knowledge that none of them would ever bother her. The city always seemed to pulsing with life and sound and Alex found peace within the noisiness, it made her feel like she was a part of something big.

The wind swept through the crowd and ran its fingers through her hair and she briskly made her way to the subway system. Out of habit her dark blue eyes scanned the crowd's faces and marked anyone who could be a potential threat. Once she got onto the train she pulled out a dog eared copy of the _Iliad _out of her bag and kept her eyes down on the page while she listened to the people speaking around her. In the distance she could hear a mother scolding a child for wandering away from her and Alex smiled to herself before listening to two men discussing last night's game to each other.

Within a few moments she was out of the subway system and back onto the streets. She only had to walk a few blocks before she finally came face to face with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The huge grey stoned building was an impressive sight and she took a moment to admire the ancient architecture before walking up the steps and entering the lobby.

There was a large group of school children in line in front of her and she took a moment to look at the security of the main entrance. Several different cameras watched the crowd milling around near the entrance from several different angles and she caught sight of five guards in uniform along the walls as well as two or three plain clothes cops dispersed through the citizens. Alex raised her eyebrows in silent appreciation of all the measures the museum had gone to ensure the safety of its artifacts.

She made her way through the line and smiled politely to the guards before making her way through the beautiful hallways full of treasures of past years. The place was like a fortress—full of cameras and motion sensors; the cases were even wired to detect weight changes. Her mind sorted through the sights around her as she looked for any flaws in their system.

It took her a few minutes to find the sword and scabbard within their exhibit. Taking a seat on one of the benches placed along the hallways and looked around the room, noting the camera positions and the guard rotations. Sighing she pursed her lips…this may be a little more difficult than she thought.

* * *

Hey guys, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed my stories and those who have taken the time to read them. I'm going to try to update these about once a week and Chapter 4 should be out soon! As always let me know what you think and press the lovely 'review' button below the story and let me know what ya think. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**"Most plans are just inaccurate predictions." -Ben Bayol**

Alex was still sitting on the bench near the exhibit when a soft chime alerted her that someone was calling her cell phone. Without bothering to look at her caller ID she grinned and pressed the 'talk' button, "Hey Jeeves."

She could hear the shuffle of clothing and then his sigh, "Alex, I thought you said you were going to wait until the coast was clear with the FBI."

"I know…but I found out that the curator would be coming in to update their programs and I needed to be in and out before they updated it." Her tone was slightly apologetic but lighthearted and she kept her eyes and ears focused on the people moving around her.

She could almost hear his frown over the phone line and she sighed softly, she probably should have at least warned him that she would hit the museum that night. Working with other people had always been her weakness. "Listen Jeeves, I need to get you the item from the last hit and begin to work on the new target. I'll be at your house at eight."

Not bothering to say goodbye, she hung up her phone and stood. Before she went and saw Jeeves, she needed to take a few pictures of the layout of the museum. She bought a disposable camera from the museum gift shop and snapped a few shots of the rooms and the exhibit cases before pocketing the camera and heading out the door.

Alex always had a hard time blending in well with a crowd. Even in flats, she stood at a lofty five foot ten, although she really couldn't complain much. She'd purposely used her height and her suit to add to the circulating rumors of the Smoke Thief being a man. When she had her suit made, she padded it so that it would hide her curves and add a small bit of protection in case she fell or got into any kind of scuffle. It had worked well so far to keep the police and FBI off her tail.

The people on the street seemed to move around her so that she barely had to slow her pace as she walked towards the subway. When she was younger she used to wish she could be shorter like the petite feminine girls that she'd gone to prep school with but, as she'd aged she learned that making friends with those girls was just a waste of her time. It wasn't worth the effort to try and be like everyone expected her to be.

Her genius IQ and her skill with computers made it easier for her to avoid most people and focus on graduating from her college early. Even she admitted that she barely understood other people and how to deal successfully with them, machines were much easier to control. Yet somehow Jeeves had seen through her dismissive exterior and befriended her.

One of her first jobs out of college was free lancing for Pinkerton's security firm and she'd been forced to work with a nerdy young man who'd been affectionately nicknamed 'Jeeves' by his coworkers for his tendencies to know the answers to every inane little trivia fact. It had started as a joke about the "Ask Jeeves" website and had stuck.

He wasn't even good with computers, he was a history major. After a few weeks of awkward silence, a tenuous friendship had begun. She now considered Jeeves to be one of her dearest friends—although she'd never admit it to his face. He gave her hope that one day she might be able to settle down and be normal. He had become an important addition to her operation and provided her with her targets unless she had a special request, like today. Jeeves gave her the back grounds on the pieces she stole and had become her black market middle man. It saved her a lot of hassle.

Ignoring the curious stares around her, she got onto her train and sat down, hoping that the ride would go by quickly and that she could get this mess over with.

* * *

Caleb groaned and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. For the last several days he'd done nothing but study all of the Smoke Thief's case files and had been working with the museum's of the city to try and set up a trap for the sneaky little thief. He had even gone to the scene of the last robbery to look for any hints or clues that the police might have missed, but found nothing. He was relentless in his search for new information on the thief next target.

The phone rang loudly next to him, jarring him out of his reverie; he grabbed the handset, "Yeah?"

The chief's voice was slightly triumphant over the phone, "We've got him now boy."

"What did you find out?" Caleb sat up eagerly in his chair, all traces of weariness gone.

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art has had someone sneaking around in their security files. It was a professional job too…they wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been for some lucky nerd in their private security company. "He paused for dramatic effect, "Their board of directors and curator have agreed to allow us to lure in the thief and set up a trap."

Caleb set the phone down with a slam and leapt to his feet, grabbing his coat on his way out the door. He'd been waiting two years for a lucky break like this—and he wasn't about to let the Smoke Thief slip through his fingers.

* * *

At eight o'clock sharp Alex picked the lock in Jeeves' back window and slipped into his tiny apartment without a noise. It had become a joke between them for her to sneak into his home and get around every security system he tried to set up. He claimed that he was 'honing her skills' and she never felt the need to contradict him. She supposed that friends were supposed to do such things.

She walked along the hallway and leaned against the doorframe of the living room door way and watched him for a moment silently. He was exactly how she'd picture a history major to look like. Shaggy brown hair that was desperate need of a haircut, hazel eyes hidden behind reading glasses and a tall lanky build that was currently curled up on his beaten up couch, nose deep in a book.

Sprinting across the room she leapt over the back of the couch and landed right beside him with her legs crossed Indian style and grinning at him. Jeeves glanced up at her and scowled, "Don't look so pleased with yourself, Alex. I'm still mad at you, you know. "

She sighed and hung her head dramatically, "I'm sorry?"

Putting his bookmark in his book he set it on the table next to him and crossed his arms over his chest to look at her over his glasses, "So you already accepted a new job? I saw that you were accessing your security file links…"

"I should never have shown you how to do that trick…you've been using it to check up on me too much." She scowled and mimicked his expression, "But yes, I have taken a new job." She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a packet of paper, "This is all the information about the piece that my client has asked for I need you to give me a set price to expect from the dealer and any background information on the sword set."

He took the papers and scanned over them, "I'll email you what I find out by tomorrow."

"Also, I need you to see what you can find out about this FBI guy who's supposed to be on my tail. I've already looked up his case files; I just need you to keep an eye on the newspapers and see what they say, you know how I hate to read those things. "Leaning back against the couch she gave him a moment to write down her requests, "Their security system is due for a routine update this Friday and will be down for a full forty-five minutes while they recalibrate. That's when I'll make my way in…the only security there will be the security officers that normally work that shift and I've already found a way around them."

Jeeves frowned at her, "But Friday is only two days away, you shouldn't rush off onto another job without preparation. For God's sake Alex, they've sic'd the FBI's most well known thief-catchers to get you. I think we should wait."

"We won't have another chance like this Jeeves. This kind of thing only happens once every few months and my client wants that sword now." Standing she walked around his living room looking at some of the books scattered around the room to avoid looking him in the eye," Besides, I can take care of myself."

Jeeves arched an eyebrow and remained silent and she finally met his eyes and smiled softly, "Fine, I'll be careful."

Alex walked towards the door and opened it but stopped at the threshold, "Oh, I almost forgot! Here," She tossed a velvet bag across the room to him,"Take care of that for me…I hear your rent is due soon."

Jeeves fumbled with the surprisingly heavy bag and stared in shock as a fist sized ruby fell out of the bag into his lap. He swallowed and shook his head, "Alex, I can't…this is…I—"

He tried to put it back in the bag and give it back to her…but she had disappeared without a sound.


	5. Chapter 5

**"Company always on the run,**

**Destiny with the rising sun, oh**

**I was born six gun in my hand.**

**Behind a gun, I'll make my final stand.**

**That's why they call me,**

**Bad company and I can't deny it.**

**Bad company until the day I die." –Bad Company**

The days leading up to a heist were always filled with things to do, things to prepare before she actually made her run—and Alex reveled in it. Jeeves sent over an estimate on the price of the sword and scabbard set and also gave her some information on a few other pieces that she could 'pick up' if she had time. A brooch from the nineteen hundreds that was set with an emerald and pearl drop as well as a jeweled pin from the second half of the tenth century would be worth a pretty penny if she could get to them in time.

She had her suit cleaned and spent most of her days reviewing the security grids and carefully going through her workout programs. She kept her body in peak condition so that she would always be prepared on the job. The only entrance the museum offered was a small window near the janitor's closet in the basement level. There was only one camera for the floor and was situated near the door to the elevator and stair way.

Once she'd made it into the building she could rewire the camera's to send a tiny alarm with a timer so that the security officer would be sent to check it out. From there she would be able to make her way up the elevator shaft and into the second floor exhibit hall. There were several motion sensing cameras along the level so she had created a virus that would hack into their system and make the backup systems useless while they shut everything down for the systems update.

It was a relatively simple plan compared to some of her past exploits, but with only a forty-five minute window Alex couldn't afford to be too flashy. It was, in essence, a smash and grab. She had to be sure to be extra careful not to leave any trace evidence now that the FBI were hot on her tail. At the point in the game, a mistake could kill her.

She didn't bother to email her client about when the job would be accomplished. She figured that he would find out soon enough when the press got a hold of the story. Besides, she still wasn't convinced that they were trustworthy. There had to be some honor among thieves after all.

* * *

Friday came bright and beautiful, and for once, Caleb stopped to enjoy it. Things were coming along nicely, he thought. He had just gotten off the phone with the chief and the curator of the MMA and everything was going according to plan. His extra officers had been set up in the buildings around the museum and he even managed to recruit a few SWAT snipers to watch the roof.

All of the exits had been wired with motion sensors and cameras that were hooked to a backup generator and computer system that was connected to a reconnaissance vehicle located a couple blocks away. Even if the thief managed to shut down the museum's security system, they would still be able to catch him with theirs.

As far as he was concerned, nightfall couldn't come fast enough. By this time tomorrow, he would have the Smoke Thief in custody and a Senator deeply in his debt.

* * *

Night fell over the city like a blanket and Alex could see the street signs and billboards lighting up in response. The city seemed like an unruly child that never wanted to go to sleep. She chewed on her lip going over the plans for tonight in her mind and preparing herself to make a successful run.

Turning away from the window, she walked into her bathroom and quickly swept all of her hair into a close fitting skull-cap and made sure that it was secure on her head. Her black suit had already been put on and as a final touch she pulled the thin black hood over her head and zipped up the high neck line so that only her eyes and part of her forehead could be seen. Jeeves had told her once that she looked like one of those kids that dressed up as a ninja for fun and she had just rolled her eyes at him. Her suit had a purpose, and playing around was not it.

The only accessory to her outfit was a thin belt that had her tools in a side pouch and the messenger bag that would hold the sword and whatever else she took. Dressed like she was, she obviously couldn't take the subway so she set out from her window and scaled the fire escape to the building's roof. One of the reasons she'd chosen her apartment was the way it was pressed against the other roofs nearby. She could easily make her way to the museum without even being on the street until she was only a few blocks away.

Alex set out across the rooftops with a steady jog and made it to the building she'd already marked to go down to ground level at. The road was still busy with cars and people, too caught up in their own lives to notice the black shadow moving around in the alleyways next to them.

She reached the museum in record time and checked her watch for the time. Setting her bag down beside the window she would be using, she pressed an ear against the glass and was rewarded by the hum of the alarm that would go off were she to open it. She still had five minutes or so before the systems were down and she could begin her assault. Alex used this time to stretch out her muscles and to set up her electronic backup system. There were two remotes that she kept on her that linked to the computer system at her apartment, the first would send her virus into the system and the second would only be used as a last resort.

Her grey eyes scanned the alley around her and she smiled slightly as the hum of the security system suddenly stopped. Reaching into her pouch she grabbed a thin, flat piece of metal that she used to gently slide under the window ledge and pried it open. A breath of cool air conditioned air swept out of the window and she carefully replaced her tool and levered herself inside.

Landing lightly she used the boxes that filled the run for cover and snuck around to the stairway. The little red light on the security camera was off, but she didn't want to take any chances. Alex was careful to stay in its blind spot as she got to the stainless steel doors of the elevator. If she went ahead and pushed the button to bring the elevator down to her, she was liable to alert all the guards to her position.

Thinking quickly she grabbed a small metal pole from the corner of the room and forced the doors open by about a foot. Alex stuck her head through the opening carefully and looked up the elevator shaft, judging the elevator car to be about three floors above her. Briefly she considered going up the stairs, but there was too much of a chance for her to be pinned down there if a guard were to see her.

She rummaged through her bag until she finally found her rope with the metal hook that she would use to climb up. Forcing the door open a little more, she swung the rope in a small circle before releasing it with a practiced flick and smiled in satisfaction as it connected and held on the first try. Gathering up her tools, she swung out into the shaft and released the bar of metal that held the door open so that it closed securely behind her.

With the door closed, the elevator shaft became pitch black and all that Alex could hear were the steady beat of her heart and the metallic sound of her pack scraping against the wall of the shaft. Realizing that time was of the essence she began pulling herself up the rope and using the wall to balance her; she didn't bother with turning on her light until she had reached the end of the rope and needed to see where she was.

The elevator above her was open to the third floor of the museum and it was only a matter of opening the second floor door to get out of the shaft. She opened the door just a few inches and peered out into the hallway. Only one guard was on this level she could see was on his way to the break room on the first level. She waited until she couldn't see his flashlight before she levered the door open enough for her to slide out and she gave a tug on the rope so she could put it back in the bag at her side.

Standing slowly she looked out over the room and moved in the direction of the exhibit cases, making sure to keep to the shadows. Before she got too far, she triggered her virus and didn't bother to check to see if it was working, she was beginning to run out of time. Alex made her way to the case that held the sword and stopped shifting her weight and listening hard.

Something was off. Tilting her head as through to listen better she tried to figure out what was giving her such an uneasy feeling. There was absolutely no noise within the museum which was odd. These old buildings were always making soft creaks and whispers of noise. Backing slowly away from the case she started to get back to the wall so that she had some protection at her back when a cold, hard voice made her stop in her tracks as the blood rushed to her head, "Stop right there, thief."

* * *

Thanks so much for all of you who reviewed my stories! It helps to know what you guys think about the story and definately helps me keep writing the next chapter. Please continue reviewing and give me any comments or questions you might have!


	6. Chapter 6

**"Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised." -_Denis Waitley_**

Caleb had been sitting in his hiding spot for almost three hours when the first silent alarm was triggered by the thief. Triumph mixed with adrenaline and he could hardly sit still as the guards he'd placed inside the building went along the routes like nothing was wrong. He had made sure that there would only be the bare minimum of people within the building so that there was less of a chance of someone messing up his carefully laid plan. He knew that if the thief even caught wind of something that was off, he'd disappear so fast he'd leave a trail of smoke, just like his name implied.

Keeping his eyes on the elevator doors he flicked the safety off on his gun and readied himself to make his move. Even with his eyes on where he was going to come in, he nearly missed the thief as he made his way in he was so quiet. The thief moved like smoke over the floor and didn't make a sound as he moved through the room towards the exhibit cases.

He watched the man walk over to the exhibit cases and pause. Caleb held his breath and wondered if someone the thief had heard him from where he sat. Moving quickly and as silently as possible he moved out of his hiding spot and got behind the thief and held his gun to the back of the thief's head.

So attuned was he to the thief before him that Caleb could hear the sudden intake of breath as the thief stiffened in shock. Keeping his hand steady on his gun he spoke again, "Turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them."

There was a moment of silence and the tension in the room heightened dangerously. He shifted a little so that he could reach for his handcuffs, "I don't want any trouble, thief."

His hand fumbled with the cuffs and his gun dipped for a second and the thief made his move. Kicking backward viciously, Caleb was thrown into one of the display cases and the thief took off, running down the hallway.

Cursing viciously, Caleb scrambled to his feet and reached for his walkie talkie, "The thief is on the move. I want all eyes on the exits and all available men at their posts."

Without bothering to hear a reply, he sprinted in the direction the thief had taken.

* * *

Jack Sinclair shifted and fidgeted on his assigned position on the rooftop next to the museum. His sniper scope had rested vigilantly on the doorway for the last several hours and he was beginning to grow tired of waiting on this thief to show up. He could hear cheers and shouts from the apartments to the left of him where a group of men had gathered to watch the game.

Scowling he settled into place and put his eye up against his scope and looked at the door again—still no sign of any movement. There was a quiet scraping noise behind him and he turned his head slightly and scanned the roof. Shrugging slightly at the empty roof behind him, he looked again through his scope.

The next noise he heard was the quiet _thunk_ of the first bullet striking him through the back of his chest. Jack gasped and tried to roll away as the second bullet caught him in the stomach. Through the haze of his pain and the black spots that seemed to be rising up to smother him, he saw the dark figure of a man holstering his gun and turning away.

Furiously he tried to yell out a warning to the other members of his team…but the words seemed to die in his throat.

* * *

Things were not going like she planned. Alex raced along the hallways of the museum and could already hear the pounding of footsteps behind her. Looking desperately for some way to escape this mess she'd gotten herself into, she cut to the right and entered a small studio and slammed the door shut behind her.

She grabbed a sturdy table and rammed it against the door and she was rewarded by the thud of the cop slamming against it. The table shuddered against the onslaught but held. Turning away from the door she ran to the window and finally felt hope return to her.

Somehow she had chosen a room that was connected to a fire escape and had only a few feet of air separating the two buildings. Unfortunately, the window to the fire escape was rusted shut and she muttered something about fire hazards as she turned away. Looking around, she grabbed a heavy piece of pottery and, with a muttered apology to the artist who'd sculpted it, threw it through the window.

Alex used the padding in her suit to escape the majority of the glass shards but she winced at the bite of pain as she maneuvered out of the window and hastily began climbing the metal ladder outside. Below her, she heard the crash of the table being forced away from the door and she felt the metal rungs vibrate as the cop began following her up the ladder.

Cursing, she sped up, "This guy just doesn't know when to quit…"

It was only a few more rungs before she reached the top and Alex rolled onto the roof with a gasp of relief and got to her feet. Moving a short distance away from the edge of the roof she gauged the distance to the next building. The cop's head had just cleared the lip of the roof when she began to sprint to the ledge. With a burst of power she jumped the five foot gap and rolled smoothly to her feet and began running again.

Grinning slightly, she looked behind her to see if the cop would risk the jump. She saw him hesitate and then take off after her; he made the jump easily and Alex was forced to speed up once more. The man just wouldn't leave and let be.

Alex concentrated on forcing as much speed as she could from her body and raced along the rooftop. He must have worked hard for such endurance, she thought, there were few policemen nowadays that she couldn't have lost within just a few minutes of the chase. Part of her was enjoying the idea that she might have met a worthy opponent and the other was worrying that she might not figure a way out of this one.

At that moment she was forced to skid around an air conditioning unit that seemed to loom out of nowhere in the darkness and she lost valuable momentum in the process. Just as she began to move forward again, she was thrown off her feet violently as a hard body launched itself into her.

She hit the ground hard and gasped for breath as the cop used his weight to pin her down as he reached for his cuffs. Hearing the snick of the cuffs closing, she panicked and began to fight wildly to get away but the cop just waited until she tired.

Panting she glared up at him with eyes that snapped fire at him, "Get. Off."

The man frowned as she spoke and moved before she could stop him and yanked the hood and cap off of her head revealing her face. She felt her long brown hair blow against her face in the light breeze and there was a long silence as shock filled his face.

"You're a..a.." His voice was rough with disbelief and she only rolled her eyes at his tone.

She arched an eyebrow mockingly, "Yes?"

"You're a woman!" She scoffed and nodded as he shook his head in wonder.

Using the distraction to her advantage, she kneed him hard in the crotch and rolled away as he grunted and curled automatically. She tried to run but the cuffs stopped her and she cursed vehemently as she realized that he had cuffed her to his other hand. No matter how much she pulled and yanked she was stuck.

* * *

Well, the story is starting to pick up! :) The next chapter should be out soon but I would like to hear from you guys before I publish it. I can't know what you think or what you don't like if you don't review the story. It doesn't take hardly any time and I know that all of you have an opinion, so give it to me. I always apreciate the feedback :)


	7. Chapter 7

**"Distressed valor challenges great respect, even from an enemy." –Plutarch**

Caleb was still aching from her vicious kick when he saw her realize that she was well and truly caught.

Turning away from him she fiddled with the cuff and started to reach for her tool belt to choose a tool when he grabbed her arm to stop her, "You're a woman…" He said again.

Rolling her eyes, she looked him over," Last time I checked." Her voice was filled with sarcasm, "Is that a problem?"

"Suddenly all of your case files make sense," he said under his breath and she snorted.

He shook his head and rolled slowly to his feet, making sure he was in a more defensible position this time. The pain from the kick was beginning to fade as he reached for his gun and frowned when he felt the empty holster. It must have fallen in the struggle.

Wonderingly he considered the woman before him. She was unusually tall for a woman and wasn't what most men would find attractive. She was athletically built and had a look about her that gave you the impression that she could take care of herself. Most people would say she was intimidating, but Caleb didn't have time for that--he needed to figure out where the rest of his team was.

She still looked as though she had some fight in her and he pointed to her belt, "Take off your belt and any other weapons you have."

Glaring at him, she quickly unhooked her belt and set it on the ground, next she placed her messenger bag next to it and he nodded. The light wasn't good enough for him to tell if she had any more weapons but he'd have to take his chances. Luckily, in all of her jobs, she never used violence in possible, so he figured she wouldn't suddenly start now. Then again, a cornered animal could turn vicious.

"Stay where you are thief, I don't want any more trouble from you tonight," he said.

"Yeah right," she replied. Her eyes darted around the rooftops looking for some sort of escape and ignored the warning look he sent her.

Keeping his eye on her, he reached for his walkie and spoke quickly, "This is Agent Bennett, I need backup on the rooftop of the building three doors down from the museum. Do you copy?"

There was a long moment of silence. The thief arched her eyebrows tauntingly and he repeated his message again.

Caleb sighed and frowned at his walkie before putting it back in the holster," Fine, I guess we are going to walk." He tugged on their connected wrists meaningfully.

She moved forward as if to go peacefully, and then leapt at him, pulling out a wicked looking instrument from her sleeve. He wasn't expecting the sudden attack and he felt himself fall backwards with her on top of him. Scrabbling for her arm to keep the tool from his vulnerable face and neck, he found the handcuffs kept him from being able to throw her off of him. This just wasn't his night…

* * *

Alex knew that there was very little chance of her making her way off this roof without handcuffs, but she also knew that she could never live in a jail. So when she saw an opportunity, she jumped on it—literally.

They landed on the ground hard and she struggled to maintain her advantage, but this cop wasn't giving up so easily. Rolling around the roof, she scrabbled for purchase on the slippery rooftop. The pick tool slid out of her hand and she jabbed an elbow hard into his stomach as she tried to grab it again. He landed a glancing blow across her forehead and she saw stars for a moment.

Somehow they broke away from each other and for a split second time seemed to slow as they lunged at each other again. The cop had managed to secure one of her hands and she was trying her hardest to land a kick when a LOUD metallic crashing noise made them jerk to a halt and look up.

Standing just a few feet away from them were a group of about eight men in dark clothing, more importantly, each one had a gun pointed directly at them. Alex's eyes widened in surprise, these definitely weren't the police.

The cop, Special Agent Bennett she'd learned, stared at them irritably, "Who the hell are you?" he snapped.

One of the men stepped forward, putting down what looked like a trashcan lid, and gave a slight bow in her direction, "My apologies for the noise, but we did not wish to stand here all night while you squabbled. We have come here for the Smoke Thief."

Alex sat up slowly. "You don't look like any cops I know," she said suspiciously.

The leader smiled oddly and she shivered, "We are most definitely are not cops madam. We were sent here to acquire the Smoke Thief...by any means necessary." He directed the last comment in the Special Agent's direction.

"And I don't intend on going anywhere with you people?" she asked.

"Then we will resort to force." His voice brooked no argument.

She felt the cop stiffen in anger and subconsciously she reached out a hand on his arm so that he wouldn't say anything stupid. Slowly, they both got to their feet. Alex stared at the men in front of them, "So what happens now?"

There was a flash of white teeth as the man smiled again, "You're coming with us…we've already made arrangements," he paused and looked at the cop she was handcuffed to with a hint of displeasure. "We do not, however, have room for any _policia_. I'm sorry, my friend."

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as the man's arm lifted and the gun was pointed at the cop beside her. Without thinking, Alex yanked him hard towards her as she heard the _thunk_ of the silenced gun go off. The cop gasped in pain and she stumbled and landed on her butt with the cop almost cradled in her arms.

"No! Stop!" she shouted at the men. The leader scowled and started to protest but she cut him off, "If you hadn't noticed we are cuffed together, so where I go, _he_ goes."

As she spoke she rolled the agent over so she could examine the bullet would. It had gone through his shoulder, just under the collar bone. His face had turned an odd gray color from pain and she put a finger to her lips so that he would stay quiet. She grabbed her bag and pulled out a piece of cloth to stem the flow as the leader spoke again.

"The boss said nothing about a cop coming along," he sounded irritated.

"Well unless you have a key to these cuffs, you're going to have to reschedule those plans of threw away the key…"

"We could just shoot the metal clasp."

The cop spoke up, "Can't…" he winced painfully, "They're a special kind…only way…is the key."

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed, "Of course it is…" She glanced up at the group of men and smiled slightly, "Although, in this case, it might have just saved your life."

The leader of the group frowned and turned to the rest of the group speaking quickly in what sounded like Italian and she ignored them as she applied pressure to the bullet hole. Under her breath she asked him," So do you have any idea who these people are or how we are going to get away from here?"

Dark green eyes stared back at her suspiciously, "How do I know that you aren't with them?"

"Did any of that last scene make it seem like we were buddies?" she asked dryly. Grudgingly he agreed with her and she continued, "For now we need to team up, we can fight this out later."

The cop winced as she pressed at the wound, and he considered it for a moment before giving her a grudging nod, "Fine, I'll work with you on this. But if I even think that this is some trick the deal's off and as soon as this is done, everything will go back to normal, agreed?"

She grinned slightly, "Agreed. Just follow my lead."

* * *

I am on a roll! Thanks to everyone who reviewed but I've decided to put more incentive for you to review. The next chapter will not be posted until I have gotten 15 reviews. I need to know what you guys think! I'm not perfect, and it helps to get opinions on the story. So take 5 minutes out of your day and tell me what you think. :D


	8. Chapter 8

**"He who hesitates is a damned fool." Mae Wes**

Caleb was still frowning at her and started opening his mouth to reply when the group of men returned to face them and the leader gestured to them with his gun, "Get moving…"he said.

His arm felt like it was on fire and he could dimly feel the wet drip of blood running down his arm. The bullet had blown through the muscle in his shoulder and it felt like it had taken out a hunk of flesh with it. It throbbed dully in time with his heartbeat and he was not looking forward to getting off this roof.

The girl leaned over him almost protectively and he knew that she would only keep him around as long as she thought he would be useful for her. Losing the key to the cuffs was the only bit of luck he'd had all night and he didn't hold much hope for anything better to come along. If only he could figure out why his team wasn't responding to this…surely at least one of them had seen him follow her. They should have immediately followed him for backup and he was beginning to think that these men had something to do with their sudden silence.

Impatiently another man in the group gestured with his gun again and snarled, "Get moving, cop. You too, thief." He looked nervous about something and Caleb noted that the leader seemed annoyed by the outburst or maybe it was just the lack of courtesy. The leader of the group seemed to obsess on politeness—it was beginning to get on his nerves.

Looking back at the girl he met her eyes and winced, "I think I'll need some help getting up." Honestly, he wasn't that badly injured but they needed to make sure their abductors considered him as little a threat as possible. It could prove useful later.

The girl paused and then quickly realized what he was up to. She gave him a small smile and nodded to show she understood the plan before she spoke again.

"I don't know how you're going to be able to climb down that fire escape with your shoulder hurt," she said loudly, frowning.

He noticed that she kept watching the men as though considering ways of escape. Apparently now that they had agreed to work together, she no longer considered him much of a threat although that could also be attributed to the fact that he was sitting practically in her lap bleeding. It was an odd thing, Caleb decided, to be working with the person he had spent so long hunting.

* * *

Alex was beginning to worry. She knew that the cop was fast becoming a liability. The more they worked together the harder it was going to be to ditch him and run. If he figured out enough information about her, she would have to completely start over or end up spending the rest of her life in a five by nine cell.

The tension on the roof was oppressive and everything seemed to be waiting for what would happen now. Carefully trying not to jostle him much, she looped the cop's arm over her shoulder and took most of his weight so that he could get to his feet. Her arm was forced to bend uncomfortably because of the cuffs but she managed.

Once he was on his feet, he shifted again so that he could stand freely. She knew his arm must be hurting badly but he seemed to ignore it for now. Taking a breath she looked back at the men and was careful to keep her hands up so that none of them decided to try shooting at them again.

"Very good, madam," the leader said, "We have a car waiting in the alley beside this building which we will use to transport you to a more…secure building. As long as he doesn't give us any problems, we will allow your FBI friend to remain unharmed, but I will not hesitate to finish the job if he decides to pull any tricks."

Alex nodded slowly and watched as a few of the group began to surround them and kept their guns pointed steadily at her. The leader smiled politely, "Please remove all of your weapons and help the cop with his…I wouldn't want him to get any ideas."

Biting her tongue to keep from saying something stupid, she did as he said. Most of her tools were already off her body with her belt, but she still had a few smaller tools hidden within her suit. Tossing the small bits of metal on the ground in front of them she turned to the cop and removed his weapons belt and his walkie.

It would be a little too intimate, she thought, for her to pat him down for any other weapons he had. Already she was aware of how he seemed to loom over her and she didn't like being unable to get away. It was like being caught in some sort of a trap; only this time she had no way of escaping.

Clearing her throat she asked him softly, "Do you have anything else?"

She looked up and met his eyes for the first time that night and he nodded. Distantly her mind noted that he had dark green eyes and he was much more attractive than the picture in his file had shown. Alex scowled and told her brain to shut up.

"I have a knife in a strap on my ankle and another gun in my shoulder holster," he said and began to reach for them, but one of their guards snapped at him to stay still.

Quickly Alex squatted down and grabbed the knife, adding it to the small pile, and reached around him for the gun. As soon as she could, she took a step away from him and wiped her palms against her leg.

"Now what?" she asked.

The man smiled again, and Alex decided that it would be easier to deal with him if he weren't so damn polite, "Now, we will go. Marco, please escort them down the fire stairs. "

Marco stepped forward and gestured for them to begin moving towards the building's fire stair entrance behind them. They moved forward and were surrounded immediately by the rest of the group, giving them no chance of breaking free. Alex glanced behind her once, and saw that the leader of the group was carefully picking up her tools using a handkerchief to protect his hands. Automatically she slowed and stretched up on her tiptoes to try to see over the men around her. What was this guy up to?

One of the guards gave her a rough shove that made her stumble and the only thing that kept her from falling was the cop reaching out and grabbing her arm. She glared at the guards and quickly moved away from the cop, something about him made her uncomfortable.

Within a few minutes, the leader caught up with them and she saw no trace of her equipment. The only tools she had were hidden within her suit and she hoped he hadn't gotten rid of her tool belt—those things were expensive.

Logic told her that her best chances to escape would be when they reached the street and started to get into whatever they were using to transport them. Once they were secured in the vehicle, they wouldn't stand a chance against the superior numbers of the group.

Her eyes scanned the stairwell as they descended for weapons or a distraction. Despair and dread began to slowly fill her as she realized how prepared this group was for her. No windows or doors ran along the stairs and all of the men kept a good distance away from her so she couldn't try to pickpocket or fight one of them.

While they walked down the stairwell she busied her mind with processing the information the group had unwittingly given her. Both men who had spoken had a definite Italian accent and she was almost certain that they had been using Italian to confer with each other earlier. As cliché as it seemed, it was plausible that these men were part of a much larger, well organized group. They all carried smaller handguns that were out fitted with silencers, which explained the mysterious disappearance of the Special Agent's team.

The problem she faced now was her lack of mobility. There was no way she could make a run for it with the cop in tow. Irritably Alex tugged at the handcuff and wondered if the cop had lied about being unable to open them without a key. If she had the right instruments she might be able to…

Her thoughts were cut off as they finally reached the bottom floor and were led down a short hallway out into the street. Immediately she moved as far as she could from the group purposely slowing to give her time to look around. The street was nearly empty and the only life she saw was a small cat nosing its way through a garbage can. Her hopes for a rescue sank.

The man behind her gave her a little push in the direction of black suburban a few yards away and Alex felt the first prickling of panic go through her. She knew as well as anyone that once she got into that car, she was as good as dead. Once she was inside, they could transport her anywhere and she couldn't stop them. Her first instinct was to dig in her heels and fight it out right there.

Alex stopped where she was and tried automatically to go back, away from the car. The man behind her shoved her again and she snapped. Slamming her elbow into the man's sternum she twisted and kicked him back over a trashcan to land loudly on the sidewalk. The rest of the group rushed towards her in mass and she tried desperately to keep them from maintaining a hold on her.

In the struggle she saw the leader wade through the fight and she caught the glimpse of a needle in his upraised hand. Her grey eyes widened and she fought even harder against the hands holding her still. The cop seemed like he had tried to help her but one of the men had his gun pointed at the back of his skull and he had been forced to kneel in the road so that he couldn't fight.

One of the men grabbed her arm and she twisted and rewarded his effort by raking her nails down his face as hard as she could. Suddenly she was seized by a rock solid hold and she froze as she felt the needle being shoved into the side of her neck. Immediately all of the men stepped away from her as she wobbled and tried desperately to get her legs to cooperate. The world seemed to tilt on its axis and she felt the whoosh of air blow past her face as she fell to the ground in front of the triumphant looking leader of the group.

* * *

Sorry about the pause between chapters, between school, work, and play I hardly have had any time to write more of this story. Don't worry though, I have been told that I need to hurry up with my chapters. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story, it helps me remember to write more of the story so keep it up if you ever want to see Alex and Caleb again…mwah ha ha ha! Lol, seriously, keep coming with the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

_"Obviously crime pays, or there'd be no crime." **G. Gordon Liddy**_

The next few hours were a blur to her hazy mind. Once or twice she managed to open her eyes enough to look around and see the cop beside her before she went back under. Logically she knew that they had put her into the car and that she was moving but she couldn't make herself reason out any more of what was going on. While she slept her mind showed odd flashes of faces and pieces of memories. She came awake with a gasp, a pounding headache, and absolutely no idea where she was.

Alex winced at the pain in her head and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Looking around, she noted that they were in what looked to be a storage room of some sort. There was only one window but it was far too small and too high up to be of any use. Soft natural light beamed in through the window and she guessed that it was probably morning now by the intensity.

There was a whisper of air across her skin from the slowly rotating ceiling fan above her head. Glancing down at herself, she frowned. While she had been asleep the men must have cut her suit off of her and had left her in just the tank top and shorts she wore underneath her suit. For a moment she felt a huge rush of relief that they had allowed her to keep at least her clothing on, although they did take her boots.

Alex stretched a little, ignoring the silent complaints of her abused body, and considered what tools she could use to get out of the room. All of her lock picks had been taken and the only usable item in the room was the dilapidated old ceiling fan above her. After a moment she disregarded that too, it was too far up for her reach. That meant she would have to pickpocket from the guards.

There was a soft sighing sound behind her and she turned to find the cop sleeping next to her. Scowling, she saw that she was still stuck in the handcuffs but she kept quiet. She needed some time to figure things out before she woke him up. Quickly she looked him over; he looked a little pale but no more worse for wear than he had been when she'd been knocked out. She noted absently that their captors had allowed him to keep his simple jeans and t-shirt on.

Returning her attention to the room, she stared at the lock on the door. Whoever had put them in here hadn't bothered to put more than a simple key-lock on the door, although she'd bet money that there was a padlock on the other side for extra protection. The lock wasn't a high enough quality to be any kind of a challenge to her which told her two things; one, that the people who had taken her didn't expect to hold her here long and two, that they believed her ability to be a threat was greatly diminished without her tools. She smirked; she'd have to see about that.

The handcuffs were going to be a nuisance she decided. Her ability to move and maneuver would only be as good as the cops and she had a feeling that he wouldn't be used to moving as a thief would. Silently she drug his hand closer so that she could see the handcuffs better. The only easy way to open them would be to use a key, but the idiot had thrown it off the roof in their scuffle. Ironically, the move probably was the only reason he was alive now.

Sighing softly, she wished that she could get up and stretch. Her body ached all over and it was turning into several shades of purple from her beating a few hours ago. Chewing on the inside of her lip she considered waking up the cop but she decided she really didn't feel like being interrogated. She needed to prepare herself for the questioning that was sure to come once he was awake.

Curling her long legs up to her chest she took several deep, even breaths trying to ensure her level of calm even though she was beginning to feel the stress of the situation fraying her control. Alex bit her lip her and mentally told herself to stop being such a baby, she had gotten out of worse situations than this…although none came to mind at the moment. Glancing at her side she gave an involuntary gasp as her eyes connected to a pair of irritated looking green ones. The cop was finally awake.

* * *

Caleb's head was killing him. It had been hours since he'd eaten that greasy fast food burger before going to the museum and he needed coffee—badly. Blearily he looked around trying to figure out where he was and scowled as images and memories from the night before hit him. He was still in the room that they had thrown him in a few hours before.

Scowling he glanced over at the thief and blinked when he realized she had finally woken up. A wave of relief flitted through his mind and a quiet voice in his head admitted that he had been a little worried that she wouldn't recover from the beating and whatever drug they'd given her the night before. He had been forced to keep hold on her while they drove through the night. She had been completely unconscious when they had finally reached this room and the men just tossed the both of them in and left, locking the door behind them. Caleb had eventually moved her into what he hoped was a more comfortable position before going to sleep himself.

Looking at the woman across from him now, he had to admit that he was a little glad to have someone to go through this with although he wasn't particularly pleased with who fate had chosen. Silently he sat up straight and looked her over, quietly calculating.

She was tense, and looked like she was about to break and run if she got the chance. With a flash of humor he thought back to how she had fought him last night and again when they had tried to force her into the van—she had a bit of spirit in her. At the moment though, she seemed a bit timid…as though she expected him to attack her once he'd awakened. He could see the dark smudges under her eyes and the beginnings of bruises on her arms and on her cheekbone.

Clearing his throat his searched his tired mind for something to say that would make this slightly less awkward. It was unreal to think that after all these months of searching he was now sitting face to face with the woman that he had been hunting for the past seven months. To say that she wasn't what he had expected would be far too much of an understatement, but seeing her now…it made sense. There was intelligence in those dark grey eyes. Looking closer he noticed a lighter blue surrounding her pupil and he blinked—witchy eyes as his little sister would say.

Dark brown hair tumbled down her back and curled lovingly around her shoulders and face. She was pale, which made sense since she probably spent most of her time out at night. Although he couldn't say that she was beautiful she did have a classically pretty face with big grey eyes that seemed to be waiting for him to haul her off to some jail cell. Caleb felt a flicker of unease…taking her to jail should be the only thing on his mind right now—not the fact that he thought she looked beautiful.

* * *

**My apologies for the length of silence the last couple months, its been a bit hectic here. You should all be thankful to AataMartin for talking me into posting this chaoter. Hopefully I'll be able to continue on the next chapter soon, until then I'd really appreciate some reviews. This story has 9 chapters and less than ten reviews. I really need a bit of pep talk when I write so it's much appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Who are enemies? Those who oppose each others will.**

**_Mary Caroline Richards_**

Licking his lips, Caleb swallowed and said, "I see you're finally awake." Mentally he cursed, that was a stupid thing to say…of course she was awake. Without a word the thief nodding slowly and he forced himself to speak again, "Are you feeling okay? You were out for a long time…"

Caleb started to lever himself forward so that he could sit up but quickly stopped as a burst of pain from his shoulder nearly made him cry out; hissing out his breath he slowly used the wall as an anchor and sat up. The thief watched him with her odd eyes and didn't reply to his question. Once he managed to breathe most of the pain from his sudden movement away he reached up with his free hand to tug the collar of his shirt down so that he could get a better look at the bullet wound.

He had a dim memory of having someone wrap the bullet wound with gauze on the van ride up here and he could see that they hadn't changed the dressing since then. Sometime during the ride he had been given a dose of the same stuff they'd given the girl and he wasn't sure where they were now.

Glancing over at the girl, he looked her over for injuries. She was shivering slightly in the cool room and he frowned, wishing he had a coat or something to give her. When he caught her eye again she gestured for him to stand and then pointed at the door. Gritting his teeth he slowly did as she asked, blinking away tiny black spots that danced along his vision. For a moment he thought that he would collapse again but to his surprise the thief reached out and allowed him to steady himself with her help. As soon as he was steady though, she snatched her hand away like it burned and rubbed it against the thin cotton shorts she wore.

Quickly she walked over to the center of the room and stared up at the ceiling fan with him following a little grumpily. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps the thief had hit her head or something in the scuffle the night before and she still hadn't answered any of his questions. Biting his tongue he simply stood a foot or so away from her and waited for her to explain why she was currently feeling along the edges of the fan's motor.

* * *

Alex was feeling a little foolish for making the poor cop stand up so that she could try to calm her suspicious nature. It just didn't make sense for the men who'd grabbed them to just leave them in this make shift jail cell without some way to watch or listen to them. Luckily the ceiling was low enough for her to be able to search the only plausible thing in the room—the ceiling fan. Just as she was about to give up and explain to the cop, who was currently sighing impatiently behind her, her fingers brushed over the tiny microphone she'd suspected to be there.

Grinning triumphantly she turned and showed him the tiny piece of metal before she crushed it beneath her foot. She sincerely hoped that whoever was listening to their room got a earsplitting shriek from the contraption being cut off. Her smile faded slightly as she realized that now she no longer had an excuse to avoid talking to the cop and that his patience with her silence was beginning to grow thin.

Awkwardly she cleared her throat and licked her dry lips, studying the cracked cement under her feet. "Um…Is your shoulder alright?" she asked finally, hoping that would pass as a normal conversation starter.

"It's a little sore, but I'll live." His voice was gravelly and Alex tilted her head slightly as she caught a hint of an accent. It sounded almost like a well-covered southern accent and she listened harder as he spoke again, "What about you? Those guys landed a few hits last night." Yep, definitely from the south…from the way he dropped the ends of words and drawled she'd place him somewhere near Louisiana.

Forcing herself to pay attention to the conversation, she shrugged, she'd had worse.

She noticed with a slight smile that he seemed to be at a loss for what to say next and she knew it must be killing him not to be able to interrogate her about her 'job'. Feeling a bit of sympathy she slowly reached out her hand as an offer of peace, "I'm Alex, by the way. I guess we can't get out of this by pretending we don't know what the other one does for a living."

The cop looked relieved and shook her hand carefully with his free hand, "I suppose we can't…I'm Caleb."

There was a pause as each of them considered the situation and looked around the room as though an exit would suddenly appear. She found herself staring at the handcuffs that were forcing them together. Alex sighed and looked the cop over, "I don't suppose you have any lock picks in your pockets?"

He looked a little amused and shook his head, "I don't normally carry that kind of tool with me."

Awkwardly they both fell silent and who could blame them. What in the world do you talk about with your enemy? Chewing her lip opened her mouth to say something then just as awkwardly closed it. Shyly she kept her eyes on the floor, talking to men was not her strong point.

They both looked up at the sound of the door being opened with something akin to relief, although they both took a step back at the sight of the armed man at the door. He gestured for them to remain where they stood as a nervous looking man quickly set a tray of food on the ground near the door and then a small pack of what looked like some sort of medical equipment before scurrying out the door.

Alex was startled to realize that somehow the cop had positioned himself defensively in front of her and was glaring at the armed man. Curiously she looked up at him and wondered what kind of boy scout camp the FBI had stolen him from. He started towards the door with his mouth opened to question him, and her being drug unwillingly behind him, but the guard slammed the door shut in their faces. The cop—Caleb, muttered a foul curse under his breath and slammed his good arm against the door.

Breathing heavily he laid his forehead against the cool metal of the door and seemed to be working to get himself under control as she watched awkwardly from behind him. "We should probably see about getting that shoulder cleaned…" she murmured, eyes on the floor.

He grunted irritably but stepped away from the door and she quickly grabbed the medical supplies from the floor and began to look through them. Silently she gestured for him to make himself comfortably. Without a word he slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor, caught by surprise at the movement she was jerked awkwardly by the cuffs and quickly knelt down next to him.

The guard had not mentioned needing them anytime soon and he didn't seem to be in a hurry. The medical supplies were a good sign, as was the food, since it implied that whoever had taken them wanted them to be in decent shape. It also meant that they were going to try to keep the cop alive with her—which she was surprisingly relieved about. He seemed like a decent enough person…for a cop. Glancing over at him, she saw that he was still irritated and she watched a muscle tic on his cheek as he clenched his teeth. Sighing she got out the things she needed to clean the wound, taking her time, she had a feeling this was going to be a long wait.

* * *

Alright dear ones, I hope you enjoyed chapter 10 of Catch Me If You Can. I should have eleven out soon, hopefully. Please take some time to click the little blue link below this and review. Please and thank you. :]


	11. Chapter 11

Well, here it is-the long delayed chapter 11. I apologize that it took this long to type this up but I'm a little overloaded with school, work, and my search work. Hopefully this is worth the wait and you'll review so I won't feel like I'm just talking to myself :] Let me know what you think about what should happen next: should I let Alex and Caleb split up? Where will they go after this?

Review review review!

* * *

**If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances.**  
**-_Julia Sorel_**

Several hours had passed and all Alex had managed to do successfully was count the ceiling tiles above her. There were 34… Scowling she glared and wished she could at least pace but she had seen how pale the cop had turned by the time his bullet wound was clean—he needed to save his strength if he was going to be able to keep up with her when she made her move. If it weren't for the handcuffs she would have been able to rely only on her wits and skills to get out. She was going to have to come up with a really clever plan to be able to get both of them out of this alive.

Glancing over at the cop she ran her hand through her hair irritably; it was bad enough to be chained to a cop, but now she had a dead weight that was keeping her from escaping and seemed only able to annoy her with the long awkward silences and glares when he thought she wasn't paying attention. Childishly she stuck her tongue out at him, but she waited until his eyes were closed—she wasn't stupid after all.

A sudden burst of unease had her tapping her fingers in a random beat as she realized another problem with being confined in this room. The longer they sat in here waiting for whoever took them to show up, the more time said villain would have to complete whatever it was he needed them for. If this mob group or whoever they were, wanted her for the reward money they would have turned her in by now. And for that matter, they wouldn't have taken or shot the cop. No, Alex considered the scene from earlier; they had come to the museum specifically to grab her. They only had one syringe and only space for her in the van, she thought, remembering pieces of the cramped car ride here.

Alex needed to get their attention—fast. If she could get a guard in here, there was a chance that she could pickpocket something useful or she could make a run for it.

Quickly she shook the cop, "Caleb! I need you to wake up!"

His green eyes looked blearily up at her for a confused moment before sharpening with worry," What is it?"

"I need to get the guard in here…You are going to have to get up so I can get to the door."  
He considered her for a moment, "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes." She responded quickly and turned to the door as he stood, muttering under her breath, "Sort of…"

Caleb started to ask her something but stopped abruptly when she let out a blood curdling shriek. Silently he arched an eyebrow in an unspoken question of her sanity. Without acknowledging him, Alex began to beat her fist against the door shouting, "Let me out of here!"

When she had to pause for breath she listened to answering voices and footsteps that moved towards the door to their cell. She didn't have to wait long before the lock began to turn in the door and she took an involuntary step back right into the cop. He grabbed her arm to steady her and whispered, "So what's the plan?"

With a sheepish grin she replied, "I actually haven't gotten that far yet…"

"Haven't gotten tha-"his exclamation was cut short as three armed men walked into the room with their guns drawn.

Alex stepped forward and glared at the three men, "I demand to be taken to whatever man is in charge of this nonsense! My patience is wearing thin with this little game." Narrowing her eyes, she gave them a look that she hoped would make them squirm.

The man to the left of her shrugged and snickered, gesturing to the rest of them, "Let the lady by."

With a sniff and her head held high, she swept out of the room, the very picture of feminine disdain.

* * *

Caleb shook his head and followed after her. The thief was a terrible actor, but luckily none of the guards seemed all that bright. He didn't think anyone had seen how she had been trembling as she had spoken those haughty words. Once they were out in the corridor, he could almost see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure a way out of here. With that thought, he turned his mind away from his curious little thief and back to the problem at hand—getting out of here.

The throb in his shoulder was only slightly less than the one beginning to pound in his head. If he weren't injured, he probably would have been fighting this thief tooth and nail over her nonexistent plan to get out of here. As it was, he was doing well just to keep himself vertical and moving. Silently he followed the thief's lead and looked for something he could use to get out of here. There was no way he would be able to fight his way out and he was pretty sure the thief wouldn't be able to take three armed men out of on her own.

The stone floor was cold beneath his socks and he felt a moment of pity for the thief walking bare foot in front of him. It seemed like they were in some kind of old factory. There were husks of rusting machinery lying around them like a mechanical graveyard. Cold air blew in from broken windows making the thief shiver and him wish desperately for a coat. Their escort directed them around a large conveyor belt and into a short hallway that led to a small dimly lit conference room.

* * *

There was a reason why Alex preferred to work at night and avoid people whenever possible, she thought as she walked behind the third man today to pull a gun on her. People were just crazy—and stupid she thought with a smile. The idiots had led her through that machine room she had managed to slip two or three rusted wires off an unattended machine and hid it in the waistband of her shorts. Feeling slightly more confident about her escape odds, she walked past her escort and into the conference room with her head held high.

Shock made her go numb and she stumbled over the doorway, causing the cop to reach out and steady her. A dark shadow of a smiling man moved closer to her and she backed away instinctively as his grin widened. He stood just a few inches taller than her and his expression was one heart-breakingly familiar to her. Memories from her childhood flickered through her stunned brain of a tall, lanky boy pulling her along behind him through her father's home; of her running desperately to try to keep up with him and his friends and finally of his familiar face staring dispassionately at her as the car drove him away from good.

Taking a shaking breath, she swallowed and looked at him steadily, "Hello brother." And watched as the beloved brother of her childhood's grin widened cruelly with a look of triumph.


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh snap, two chapters in one week? When will the madness end? Lol, hope you guys enjoyed my little plot twist in the last chapter. I'm really enjoying writing the exciting new events that are due to happen to poor Alex and Caleb next so stay tuned. :)**

**Remember to review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.**  
**-_Marcelene Cox_**

Alex felt the cop stiffen in surprise behind her but she kept her gaze on the man in front of her, "What are you doing here Scipio?"

Her eyes looked him over carefully, noticing the differences in the man before her and the boy of her childhood. His dark hair was cut tight around his head and he looked pale and wan in his well made designer clothes. For someone who had just gotten out of prison, she supposed he looked alright, albeit a little thin and haggard. The little girl in her wished that she could have embraced the hero of her childhood but the woman knew better—the boy she knew had long since been consumed by his own greed.

Ignoring her, her brother looked past her to Caleb, "Well well well, when my men told me they had captured a cop as well as a thief, I admit I was a little irritated with them," Alex saw one of the men flinch in fear, "but I never expected Fate to be so fortuitous as to bring in the man I hate the most."

She glanced back at Caleb but he looked solemnly at her brother, "Shouldn't you still be rotting in a jail cell somewhere?" he asked drolly.

Scipio looked at him venomously, "If not for my new acquaintances, I would have been in that dank jail cell for years." He took a breath and visibly worked to control his temper. "As much as I'd like to kill you for that indignity, my colleagues and I have something much better in store for you."

Alex narrowed her eyes, "What do you want with us? I wasn't a part of putting you in jail and as fun as it is to watch you to fight I can't help but feeling that I have nothing to do with this." As she spoke, she took a step forward and brushed against the guard to her left. The man glared at her and she made a show of stepping back into Caleb, and passed the gun she had stolen from the man's holster into Caleb's palm. She felt him stiffen in surprise but she ignored it and continued to speak, "Really, Scipio, are the thugs necessary?"

Quickly Alex glanced back at the cop and arched her eyebrows in hopes that he would catch on to her plan. He stared back at her with only the slightest bit of tension belying his anxiousness. She needed him to trust her to move Scipio into position before acting, or they were both dead. Returning her attention to her brother, she watched him smile slowly at the look that had passed between herself and the cop.

"I see you two have managed to put your differences aside…how interesting. I had thought that you at least, Detective Bennett, would have remembered your job is to put little thieves like Alex here behind bars." Scipio looked a little smug as Alex's calm façade faded slightly which made her stiffen in indignation.

"Is there some point to this farcical conversation? If not, I'd like to get back to my own life." Alex gritted out.

Scipio snarled and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt as though he were going to strangle her but stopped suddenly. There was a soft metallic click as the safety of her pilfered gun in Caleb's hand went off as it pressed firmly against Scipio's head. With their faces only inches apart, Alex witnessed the flash of fear in his eyes as he looked past her into the determined eyes of the cop. Both of them remained frozen for a moment before he slowly relaxed his hands from where they had been holding her and raised them into the air.

"Tell them to drop their weapons Scipio," the cop's voice was hard and brooked no argument. Even knowing that he was not the type to kill people without reason, Alex couldn't stop the shiver of fear that went through her when she looked him in the eyes.

Around them, the guards shifted anxiously trying to figure out what they should do. Caleb's gaze remained unblinkingly on Scipio as he repeated the order.

Her brother swallowed and waved his hand at the guards closest to them, "Do as he says."

There was a clatter of guns hitting the floor and Caleb smiled a soft, deadly smile, "Now, tell them to wait in here. We are going for a little walk."

Caleb put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her safely behind him and she went without protest. Scipio gave an order in rapid Italian and the men slowly moved to the back of the room, giving them an unhindered path outside.

"Alex, pick up the guns and put them in this box," Caleb nudged an empty box with his toe. "Make sure you get them all."

Nodding, she quickly scooped up the box and guns. Normally she might have protested his high handed way of ordering her around but she had never been very prone to violence if she could help it. This situation was one that he was familiar with and trained to handle. It took her a minute or two to manage it one-handed but she eventually got them gathered up with the box under one arm.

Caleb flashed her a smile, "Thanks." Alex blinked slowly, it was a good thing that she and the cop didn't normally have a reason to work together; that smile of his was dangerous.

With the guns and guards taken care of, Caleb motioned for Alex to step out of the room ahead of him and kept Scipio in font him in case the guards decided to try anything. Keeping a firm hand on the back of Scipio's jacket he backed carefully out of the conference room and into the machine room. Alex used one of the metal beams lying around the floor to lock the door shut behind them. Hopefully that would slow them down long enough for them to get help.

* * *

His shoulder was giving him merry hell and he knew that this situation was probably going to go downhill fast. Turning slightly, he looked at Alex, "See if you can find any way to—"

His sentence was cut off by a grunt of pain as Scipio whirled and punched him solidly in his wounded shoulder. The stolen gun fell from his nerveless fingers and hit the ground with a clang. His world was suddenly consumed with the need to fall into the black spots that were dancing in his vision. Gritting his teeth, he staggered to his feet as Alex used one of the guns from the box to brain her brother in the head. He started to tell her to use the damned thing to kill him but at that moment Scipio began to scream for help from his guards.

With surprising strength, Alex grabbed him and slung his arm over her shoulder to support his weight. Her grey eyes met his for a moment before she shouted urgently, "We need to go!"

He tried to nod but she was already off, dragging him behind her as shouts from the guards got closer.

* * *

Alex looked around the room for an exit as she worked to put distance between Scipio and themselves. Spying a door to their left with a rusted EXIT sign above it, she staggered over to it. Caleb was only supporting a small amount of his weight and it was all she could do to keep them moving and him upright.

"I knew I should have just been a school teacher…but _no_ I just _had_ to go and take after dear old dad," she grumbled under her breath as they finally reached the door.

As gently as she could, she leaned Caleb against a metal frame and examined the rusted lock on the door. _Who in the hell locks an exit door?_ She thought sourly before grabbing the wire she'd filched earlier and got to work. There was a loud crash as Scipio finally managed to open the conference room door which she ignored in order to focus on the lock.

"Hurry up," the cop's voice was laced with agony and she snarled back, "What do think I'm trying to do?"

Alex had never been so glad to hear the soft _snick_ of the lock opening as she was in the moment. She pulled it off and opened the door with an earsplitting screech. Wincing, she froze at the sound and listened to see if they had heard it. There was an excited shout and answering footsteps that signaled her fear was true. Cursing viciously she grabbed the cop and pulled him out the door, closing it behind her.

The door had led them out into the service alley beside the workshop and she looked around for something to block the door with. Using all of her strength, she managed to drag a heavy toolbox in front of the door in time to hear the thud of a body running into it from the other side. Panting from exertion, she once again put the cop's arm around her shoulders and led him quickly away from the building towards the rumble of traffic and people.

Alex knew that once they managed to break the door down, the men would be out in the road looking for them. She glanced down at the pale cop and knew that they had no chance of out running them. For that matter, no taxi or sane person would be willing to give a ride to two bloody and moneyless strangers. She couldn't even use the cop's badge as a threat since the thugs had taken it from him.

Moving quickly, she reached the corner of the alley and looked around for any familiar landmarks. It looked like they were near some kind of shopping center. Bustling people wrapped in winter jackets milled around the area looking at vendor's offerings. Shivering, she turned and looked behind them again before leaning the cop against the wall so he could stand.

"Caleb? I need you to pay attention, alright?" his green eyes opened blearily and shut again. "_Caleb_," she said with more force and shook him, "I know you're hurting but we have got to get out of here and I can't do that while you look like you're about to pass out at any second."

He gave her a weak glare and swallowed, "What do you need me to do?"

She smiled weakly, "We have got to get into this crowd of people so that I can get some clothing and some money, "he began to protest the theft but she waved it off, "There is no way we can get out of here alive unless I do this, so you're just going to have to live with a little smut on your conscience."

After a long pause he finally nodded and she smiled in relief, "Wrap your arm around my waist so I can help you walk…make sure you keep the handcuffs out of sight." Wordlessly he did as she asked.

"Alright then, here we go," taking a deep breath, she led him out of the protective shadows of the alley and into the bright morning sunshine.


	13. Chapter 13

**These chapters are coming out quick now. :) Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Let me know what your thoughts are about the people who took Alex and Caleb. Why do you think they did it? Is there a bigger plot behind all of this? How did Scipio get involved?**

**Stay tuned lol, and review!**

* * *

"**The gig is up, the news is out. They've finally found me. The renegade who had it made till the law found me; I'm a wanted man."**

**-_Renegade_ by Styx**

People are foolish beings; Alex thought as yet another couple took a look at the dirty and under clothed appearance and quickly changed directions. Luckily the area was busy and the vendors had most of their attention focused on the people milling around their stands. Next to a bench, Alex saw an unattended cloth bag and grabbed it up to store what she took. Her tank top and shorts were going to make it difficult to snatch and hide anything from the casual observer.

Slowly, they meandered through the crowd while trying to blend in. As they walked past a clothing stand, Alex paused and looked through the women's clothes, especially the jackets. When the vendor's attention fell on another group of customers, she slid a few items into her bag and walked back into the crowd with Caleb following. Mentally she reminded herself to return to the stand to pay for what she had taken; she preyed on the rich, not the workers.

As a small boutique came into view, she walked inside and politely asked where their restrooms were. Once they were away from prying eyes, she grabbed the soft black cotton pants and 'I love NY' t shirt from the bag and put them on. Then she carefully tucked her hair into a simple cap, making it look as though she had much shorter hair. For Caleb, she carefully wrapped a simple grey jacket around his shoulders to help cover his wounded shoulder and keep him a little warmer.

Alex looked him over worriedly, he hadn't spoken since the alley and she had a feeling that he was at the last vestiges of his strength. Carefully, she supported him as they walked out the door and once more into the streets. As she walked, she caught glimpses of several men scanning the crowd and she was careful to keep moving to lose them in the crowd.

An irritable looking businessman slammed into her shoulder and she moved away from him with a murmured apology and his hefty wallet in the pocket of her new pants. That done, she began scanning for a phone booth so she could make a call. Caleb muttered a small protest as she leaned him against the door of the booth and pushed her change into the slot.

Holding her breath, she heard it ring twice before a sleepy sounding Jeeves answered the phone, "Hello?"

"It's me," she murmured softly.

"Alex? Where have you been? I've been worried sick—"she cut off his tirade with a shushing sound.

"Jeeves, I don't have much time to explain this but, I'm going to have to go underground for a while. The situation is becoming a little too dangerous for me to hang around here anymore. I'll call you when I can." Before he could begin questioning her again, she hung up the phone and listened to the coins fall into the bucket. Sighing, she walked back outside to the cop.

"Alright, I think I can get us out of here quietly but you're going to have a walk a little further. Can you manage that?" she asked softly.

He stared at her wearily, "We need to go to the police. Maybe we can work out some kind of deal if you cooperate with them, I'll even vouch for you; but we can't do this on our own."

Alex arched an eyebrow at this, "I've been doing this on my own since I was fourteen, if anyone could lead you out of this it's me. There is no way I'm going to willingly hand myself over to the police; didn't the crazy chase scene through the museum teach you anything?," His eyes narrowed as he prepared to argue again but he stopped at the expression of horror on her face, "What is it?" he asked, looking for some sign of an attacker.

Wordlessly she pointed to the appliance store across the street from them where a wall of TV screens was tuned in to the local news station. A stern looking woman was relating the story of the museum robbery and was talking about a crazed killer on the loose. Behind her the screen showed a police sketch of someone who looked remarkably similar to her and her supposed accomplice—Caleb.

Caleb let out a foul curse on an exhaled breath and moved closer to the TV, forcing Alex to follow. The subtitles scrolled across the screen detailing the heist on the Museum of Natural History and the murder of four police officers who had been put in place to try and capture the Smoke thief. The police believed that Caleb had been double dealing with the thief and had betrayed his team for the money he could get working with the thief. Caleb's FBI chief had refused to comment.

Silently Caleb stared at the TV screen, even as it went to a cheerful commercial detailing some brand of laundry detergent. Alex stared at him helplessly; she had grown up in a world that believed her to be evil, this was a whole new thing for Caleb. She started to reach out to him but jerked back as he suddenly slammed his fists against the glass windowpane. Grabbing his uninjured shoulder she pulled with all her might against him, "Caleb! You have to calm down!"

He looked at her with wild eyes before focusing on her face, "This is all your fault." He said in a vicious tone.

Hurt, she looked away, "Yes, it's all my fault but we can't stay here, people are starting to notice. You won't be able to catch Scipio if you get locked up. Trust me cop, I want to put him in jail as much as you, but we are going to have to work together and you are going to have to trust me, alright?" By the end of her speech she was able to look up at him dispassionately, without any sign of her bruised feelings. For a few moments she had believed that she and the cop might have been able to get along, but not any more.

He took a deep breath and nodded as though the very act of working with her hurt him. Silently she turned and walked to the edge of the road to hail a taxi.

* * *

"We lost them in the crowd sir. We think they may have been able to hail a taxi and got out of the vicinity before we could find them," the unlucky thug, Marco, stood before him nearly quaking in fear as Scipio's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A voice behind him had him freezing with an arm in the air to hit the thug, "Excellent…Scipio, let the man leave."

Marco quickly scrambled out of the room as Scipio turned to face the man sitting at the head of the table, "What do you mean 'excellent'? They let them get away!" he snarled, breathing heavily.

The man arched an eyebrow and spoke in a soft, deadly voice, "Watch your tone boy, I didn't get you out of that prison to have you think that you can speak to me in such a way." He stood slowly and walked over to the cowed Scipio, "This new development will not affect our plans at all, if anything it will provide a distraction for the FBI. We've already gotten the crime pinned on that detective using some of my connections and the girl has already played her part, for now, all we have to do is wait…"

He turned away from Scipio to stare out the window of his expensive office near Central Park as though he had just discussed the weather. Scipio shifted uncomfortably, the man terrified him. This guy was on a completely different plane of evil than he had ever been. He almost felt sorry for Alex until he remembered that it was she who was responsible for sending him off to that godforsaken prison in Italy. For now, he just needed to make sure he stayed out of the man's way; lest his head get placed on the chopping block too.


End file.
